Minor Pleasure
by Waking Hyde
Summary: It's Kachiro's birthday, but he's sick. Katsuo still wants to make it nice, and seeks the help of one Horio Satoshi. Ichinen-trio friendship.


**A/N: **Written in half an hour, but it's okay, really. And I love Horio, despite his monobrow. It actually made me scared of him in the start, but now it makes me love him. He so needs more love. But hey, he's doing the Atobe-effect. Damn right, he's taking over the fic.

Poor Kachiro, didn't really appear all that much in his own birthday fic. Oh well. Blame my muse, it was half past 11, and I still didn't have a plot. Makes you desperate when you write something with a time limit of half an hour? Hell yes.

Edit: Damn you, eff eff dot net!! I DID SO post it before twelwe! It's still March 2nd!!

**Disclaimer: **Do. Not. Own.

**Warnings: **Un-beta'd text.

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**Minor Pleasure**

"Horio! Horio-kun!" Katsuo yelled as he spotted his brown haired friend down the hallway. Said boy turned, slightly surprised, and raised his trademark monobrow.

"What the... Katsuo?" he said awkwardly as Katsuo stopped before him, his hands on his knees while panting slightly after his dash. "Where's Kachiro?" Katsuo looked slightly uneasy at this.

"He's... Ill," he said hesitantly. Horio scoffed.

"What's with that, I thought it was something serious, the way you shouted all across the hall!" he said briskly. "If he's sick, then that's just - "

"But Horio-kun, don't you know what day it is today?" Katsuo said in desperation.

"It's March 2nd, are you stupid or something?" Horio replied, frowning at what he thought might have been an insult against his intelligence. God forbid that anyone should even attempt at that.

Katsuo, however, only looked more distressed. "Horio-kun! But today is special!" he cried. Was Horio imagining things, or did Katsuo's eyes just turn slightly watery?

"Sure, we've got an English test," Horio replied after a while. "What's it to you? We don't even share classes!"

"Horio-kun!" Katsuo exclaimed again. Horio started to get slightly annoyed at the repeated abuse of his name, and slapped Katsuo lightly against the cheek.

"What's up with you?!" he growled. "Will you just tell me what the hell you're getting at!"

"It's Kachiro's birthday today!"

Silence. Then...

"Oh, well that sucks."

"Horio-kun!" Again with the name abusing. It was really getting on his nerves.

"What?!" Horio exclaimed, growing frustrated. "What do you want me to say or do about it?! I'm not a friggin' doctor, you know!"

"Hori - "

"And I swear, if you say my name like that one more time, I'm gonna prove to you that tennis is not the only thing I have two years of experience in!"

"Fine, but can't you be a little more helpful?" Katsuo pleaded, plastering a big puppy dog look on his face. As odd as it was to be stared _down _at with that look, Horio sighed deeply and threw his arms out in defeat.

"What do you want me to do?" he repeated wearily. Katsuo smiled slightly, obviously relieved.

"Well, I stopped by his house this morning," Katsuo started thoughtfully, putting a finger to his chin. "And his mother said it was nothing serious. She said she hoped I could bring his homework, and maybe cheer him up a bit on his birthday..."

Horio shrugged. "Then you do that," he said simply.

"Horio - " Katsuo started before stopping at Horio's monobrow'ed glare. "Please, come with me. Kachiro would appreciate it, I know it."

"Why don't you go alone?" Horio asked, puzzled. "Aren't you like, his best friend or whatever?"

"But so are you," Katsuo pressed, growing desperate again. "Kachiro doesn't have many friends, you know that. So even if you don't look at him the same way, he appreciates you. He might not give any indications of it, but he really looks up to you as a person and a friend. Although we all agree that you have your faults, "

Horio remained silent. He was used to boast about his own skills and magnificence, but rarely did anyone give him such straight forward praise. He never knew Kachiro saw him like that. Despite not voicing these thoughts aloud, he often felt like a third wheel, what with Katsuo and Kachiro being best friends since childhood and Echizen being his skilled, but cold self.

"Please, Horio-kun, come with me today," Katsuo pleaded, looking down at Horio expectantly. Horio finally sighed and shrugged in defeat.

"I guess it can't be helped, then," he said nonchalantly. "Since he is in serious need of company, the great Horio-sama will join you."

Katsuo grinned brightly, and Horio briefly wondered if his smile would go all around his head and meet at the ends.

"Thank you, Horio-kun!" he said, visibly relieved. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah," Horio brushed him off. "Just come by my classroom at the final class. There's no practice today, right?"

"No, I don't think so," Katsuo replied uncertainly. "The second years are away at some class trip, and the third years are preparing for the exams - "

"Then there's no practice, dumbass," Horio replied confidently. "As I said, outside my class at the end of the day. I won't wait!"

"Yes, thanks, Horio-kun!" Katsuo smiled. Horio turned around and started walking away from his friend, also smiling slightly. He even decided to ignore the recent abuse of his name.

As Katsuo led the way up the stairs through Kachiro's big house, Horio could not help but feel slightly uncomfortable, and he started to regret his choice to come after all. Katsuo had been here so many times, and Kachiro's family greeted him as if he was a distant family member, like a cousin or something. He, on the other hand, was in this house for the first time.

He felt so strangely... Out of place. Katsuo was Kachiro's best friend, no matter what Katsuo said and Kachiro felt. That was nothing he could do anything with even if he wanted to. Of course, he did not.

Katsuo must have noted his displeasure, and turned to address him.

"Horio-kun?" He asked gently. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Horio said hesitantly, looking around the grand hall they had just entered. "I just feel like I shouldn't really be here, you know?"

"Not really," Katsuo replied with a shrug. "Come on, he'll be glad to see that you came too."

"If you say so," Horio sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time that day.

They walked a little more in silence, before Katsuo stopped outside a closed door at the end of the corridor.

"This is Kachiro's room," he explained. "We should probably knock." As said, as done. Katsuo knocked gently, before quietly opening the door in case the smaller boy was asleep.

Fortunately, he was not. Kachiro sat upright in his bed, a book in his lap and a mug of cocoa on his nightstand. He only looked slightly flushed, and the small pile of tissues in the garbage was the only thing that hinted of any illness in the room. At Katsuo's arrival, he looked up, smiling brightly.

"Ah, Katsuo!" he exclaimed in delight, before sneezing slightly. Katsuo smiled back, equally bright, and sat down on his bed.

"Happy birthday, Kachiro!" he said.

"Thanks," Kachiro laughed heartily. Suddenly, something brown caught the corner of his eye.

"Oh, Horio?" he said, more to himself than his visitor. "You came too?"

"Yeah..." Horio answered, still slightly uncomfortable. However, at the bright smile that came on Kachiro's face, his regret disappeared entirely.

"Happy birthday, Kachiro."

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Review! :D Prove to me that these three does have someone who actually cares!


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